The main downside I could see coming of this is if the "new" VA decides not to continue with SSEs once they get everything up and running. The "old" VA had some of the best SSE selection/capability in the area.

When I was working full time at the Milpitas shop that was my job. Figuring out how to do the conversions, making the parts that couldn't be bought and custom fabricating mag locks for guns that there were none avaliable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbogert

Finally got the call from Paul. I had a 1911 Gov. Series 70 shipped to them for the SSE, did the DROS on 11/21 for pickup on 12/1. They can't finish any SSE at this point- I requested they transfer to MadDog Tactical

In my case because the DROS was sent to DOJ (or whoever), Paul has to first cancel it w/DOJ before the DROS can restart at Mad Dog Tactical. He has to figure out how to do that, so it's kind of an unknown on how long it will take at this point. He said he is personally delivering firearms to MadDog by weeks end for customers that have requested going that route, so some of you may be able to restart the DROS this week, unless yours has been sent to DOJ. Looking like it may be a few weeks before this headache sorts itself out for me and at least 3 trips to the South Bay...

For those of you still waiting to get a call, I emailed late 12/3 to the address on their site, to the refunds.valkyriearms@gmail.com on 12/4 @ 13:00 and 12/5 @ 10:30. He's working through the list, but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't worried for a bit.

Best of luck

What you should have done was see if you can rent the barrel from Mad Dog since your DROS was already done at VA. All they would need to do is drop in the barrel, install a blocked mag, and swap the mag catch. It takes all of 2 minutes to do.

I'm glad to hear everyone is getting their money back. It sucks to see what has happened to Valkyrie, I used to proudly wear my shirts and hand out my cards to everyone.
Hasn't been like that for months for me.

__________________
There are 3 kinds of people in this world.
The wise, learn from the mistakes of others.
The smart, learn from their own mistakes.
The others, well......they just never learn.

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death!"
Patrick Henry.

I was in there today to get my gun shipped to Tracy for SSE. Paul was really good to work with and took care of us. Sad to see the shop go this way because of mis management but it sounds like they plan for it to open back up after this mess is sorted out. I hope it works out for them.

I just left the store and it is closed. Danny called me and said I could pick up my ppt until 8 pm tonight. No one is around. Not too happy right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Najica

Danny called me saying the same thing last night, that I could come in sometime around 7:30 and pick up my HK. And now it sounds like their phone is disconnected. Way to go down in a ball of fire.

I thought Gio said the two guys named Dan that were working at VA left or were let go??? His post quoted below...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gio

I spoke to a now ex-employee today and he said that last Monday all the employees simply left, he did not mention if it was voluntary or if they were asked to leave. It sounds like they are re-structuring the business and doing all that they can to make things right. Hope things work out for everyone that is involved, I would like to say that being civil with the auditor will be better than trying to rip him a new one.

Hello all new to calgun I was just at VA today about 1300 hrs the man inside with a glock on his hip let me in i asked if the 2 pistol i had sent in arrived he explained the mail had not arrived yet but when they did he would be sending them to Tracy for the SSE, he further explained he was doing the audit and no sales could be performed hopefully he follows through as i checked the tracking # and they have been delivered to VA as of 1430 hrs just have to play the waiting game all and all hope they get there issue worked out as the SSE they performed for my Ruger SR1911 went flawless

I had a gun sent to them last week for transfer. I've been emailing and calling, no answer, no call back. I'm about an hour away in good traffic, so I'd hate to go there for nothing.... I'm hoping I get a phone call at some point soon.

What you should have done was see if you can rent the barrel from Mad Dog since your DROS was already done at VA. All they would need to do is drop in the barrel, install a blocked mag, and swap the mag catch. It takes all of 2 minutes to do.

Valkyrie Arms was a great shop when they were in Milpitas, they were very energetic

When I did an SSE transfer with them for my PPQ at the new location, I felt a lot of the energy was gone.

I hope this gets resolved quickly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NSR500

I liked them a lot better in Milpitas than I do at their new location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GW

It is weird. I dropped in on Tuesday and there was NOTHING on the wall and a single built up AR lower in the case. Their story then was they have just been selling out of everything. If that's the case then the inventory should take about 8 minutes.
If Tim has left then that would explain a lot.
An earlier poster is right. Things were better before they left Milpitas.
I hope these issues, whatever they are get resolved happily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 408er

I hope so too, or I'm sol. I know I'm not the only one on here with firearm purchases that were paid for......and been waiting to receive. Honestly, it's pretty sad to witness. When they were in Milpitas, they were an awesome shop. You could come in and speak to Tim, SJGunGuy, Gio, Javier, and some other folks whom I forget. Their staff changed a little in the short time they were there, but it was a great shop. Not to mention, one with a full inventory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patriot_man

I was actually expecting the old folks from Milpitas at the new shop but man was I wrong when I dropped in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drkphibr

So "VA is done and gone..." is not necessarily a bad thing.

I've heard a lot of pro (shop in Milpitas) and con (new shop in SC). I have limited experience with them over the last 18 months.

The vibe of the shop at "move week" was positive and it looked like they were going to turn into a nice shop (never stepped into the previous shop).

The vibe at SSE pickup 10 days later however was different. More of a clique, guys (based on how they were hanging out at the counter and walking back/forth behind it, seemed to be employees) "hanging out" and shooting the breeze (if I had youngsters with me, I would have left based on the language and topics discussed - not so professional IMO). No one seemed too interested in even asking "can I help you". I had to break into a "shooting the breeze" conversation to say I'm here (after standing at the counter holding paperwork for a few minutes) for a SSE pickup. I noted the idiot scratch as soon as he brought out the gun. Bit of a let down, especially for an 07 FFL. Based on my overall experience, it was a one time relationship for me.

So, from my perspective, the "new" VA (I'd bet on a name change) might be a good thing. Good to see a LGS remain in the area. Sometimes a staff/ownership change is just what's needed to make a big difference. The customer focus on the PPTs/refunds I'm reading here already indicate a significant change for the better IMO.

Etc...

I agree with the Milpitas location vibe. They were busy busy, going above and beyond to help everyone like they were the only customer in the place.
And there wasn't a single night where that place was packed elbow to elbow with customers.

As soon as they moved to SC, everything took a dump; inventory, and especially customer service. The only thing that went up was their prices.

It really is sad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJgunguy24

I have nothing to do with Valkyrie Arms since June. Sorry but I have no info. Frankly I'm surprised to see what has happened but then again I'm not. I hope everything is resolved quickly and as painlessly as possible.

June of this year? That's interesting, I stopped by there in late April/early May and the guy there said you no longer worked for them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJgunguy24

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssaction

Maybe my Valkyrie lowers will be collector's items.

I have matching upper and lower. It's one of 10 that were made.

I also have a VA upper and lower for my Grendel build, I traded Felipe my black Magpul PRS for his FDE PRS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJgunguy24

I'm glad to hear everyone is getting their money back. It sucks to see what has happened to Valkyrie, I used to proudly wear my shirts and hand out my cards to everyone.
Hasn't been like that for months for me.

I used to grab a stack of business cards every time I was in there (Milpitas), and hand them out to anyone I met that was into firearms. I stopped doing it after the move. But I did let people know they had moved. I even waited outside of Kerley's for a customer that was in there looking for a CA legal HK MP5, to tell him to go to VA.

It's been month's since I've bought anything there, mainly because they NEVER have what I was looking for in stock.

has anyone checked their bank accounts to see if refunds have gone through? don't see no $$$ in my account yet...

No money has gone back to my acct. yet, and I only had $125.00 in the game w/VA. Purchased from another shop in SoCal and had shipped to VA for SSE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptroxx

Refunds could take up to 48hrs to actually be seen in your account..
Give it another day.. the good thing is you know someone is there doing refunds..

Funny they can take your money instantly, but take days to put it back - not just VA, but anyplace. I'm not sweating the refund. If it's not there by Monday I'll be a bit more concerned but $125.00 loss ain't gonna kill me. I'm more worried about getting my firearm. I'm sure worrying about the refund is directly proportional to how much money is at stake.

Given the few who've posted about collecting money and then taking months it sounds like there were cash flow issues. Typicallly businesses are suppoed to charge a CC within 48 hours of shipment/delivery. It sounds like a number of folks paid in full weeks to months in advance.

There was a little inconsistency when ordering, my price was $200 more than a shooter i know who just had the same gun ordered. Instead, i just used them as FFL to receive my orders and DROS it or SSE if necessary.

All my ppt or dros was done immediately. Only VA does that. Reeds, sportman supply, TM would take at least 30min. TM to be the worst.

My bad. Yes, for a customer seeking to get his gun and/or money, that post is helpful.

I was looking at this from a different view, more concerned with underlying reason for the closure of VA. If it is truly internal issues, then its their own business as to why. If there is some sort of audit or regulatory issue being dealt with here then this could have ramifications for other dealers who might be dealing in SSE, rebuild kits, etc.

Just sayin'

Yes, I believe you are onto something here...

The SSE is viewed by DOJ as a total loophole to the laws regarding the handgun roster.

They don't like this at all, and we were told during our first DOJ udit that doing a lot of SSEs and mag rebuild kits or large cap mags would fly us right into the radar of the DOJ and inspectors.

I'm not agreeing with the Roster, not by any means as it is VERY detrimental to our business. Nor am I denouncing those who choose to provide SSE services to allow people to skirt the roster.

But we were warned against this by our inspector. We chalked it up to part FUD and part reality.

Our inspector offered some anecdote about some SSE dealers that were really really pushing the loophole and the DOJs patience. Out the front door SSE, in the back door remove the parts. Barrel extensions that could not be safely fired, etc. Even some reports of no attempt at making the weapon SSE, just using the exemption being used to put the weapon into somebody's hands.

He hinted that there was more than one dealer out there that was about to be shut down and it was only a matter of time before the loophole is officially closed....

All I can say is I'm not that suprised. Seems if you're going to gamble your FFL on SSE you had best make sure to do it entirely by the book.

Best of luck to the new owners, best of luck to us gun owners here in CA.

Some of the speculations in this thread are correct. When the store moved from Milpitas to Santa Clara, a new owner took over. The store was renamed Valkyrie Arms Police Supply and Firearms by the new owner. Tim was on board to help the “new” store. Before being renamed, 10-8 Police Supply was not doing well and Tim was contacted to help with 10-8 Policy Supply’s business. Tim’s advice was not taken and the new owner continued to run the store as he pleased. Tim became less and less involved in the company as time went on, and eventually left. The store started sliding downhill, exponentially in the past weeks. The owner created the recent “inventory & audit” closure to buy time to deal with the situation. Some of us (store employees) stuck around to lend a hand for a short time.

What was happening that dug Valkyrie Arms Police Supply and Firearms' hole was that many of the firearms orders placed at the Santa Clara store were for items that were out of stock. When many of these items came back into stock (sometimes 2 weeks, other times it was months) the new owner had already spent the money. The new owner disregarded Tim’s advice to keep the money aside for customer orders and other store necessities. Tim and the store employees stuck with it for some time and tried to fix the store and the owner’s habits, but were unsuccessful. Tim signed onto 10-8 Police Supply under false conditions and promises issued by the owner. Tim was told 10-8 Police Supply did not have any debt and that they were making a profit. It was eventually found out that 10-8 Police Supply actually owed debt to various vendors. In the past months, the new owner was taking profits from Valkyrie Arms, which was supposed to be used for customer orders, inventory for the store, and employee pay, and instead used it to pay off his debt, and bills. Tim was supposed to have control on how the finances were handled and used. The new owner did not like how Tim used the money, and decided to transfer the money out of the company’s account. Valkyrie Arms (Milpitas) did have guns on order which were transferred over to Santa Clara; however this was because the guns ordered were harder to obtain. Money from these orders was also spent by the new owner.

We made it a point never to gouge customers, we wanted to stay competitive. Many of us working there made and became friends with customers and what was happening behind closed doors affected this friendship. We tried our best to get customer their guns, some went as far as using their personal credit cards to acquire inventory, which was quicker than having to use the store’s accounts to order products. Some of us spent time on our days off to track down guns from other dealers, or whoever may have that particular gun in stock. Because of this, we built a good relationship with other dealers. Customer service was a top priority for us. We personally witnessed it lacking at times as things headed downhill. We were proud to hear from customers that we were the friendliest gun shop they had ever visited, and really took pride in that. With the new boss, our morale sometimes dipped and that showed in our customer interactions. We sincerely apologize for the poor customer service.

It is unfortunate that it has come to this. All the employees have left the company with Tim. Currently, the new owner has been issuing refunds to customers and transferring the guns he is able to. Since Tim is no longer part of the company, Valkyrie Arms Police Supply and Firearms is unable to perform Single-Shot Exemptions (SSE from now on) of off-roster pistols. Those pistols pending DROS (have yet to be registered) are being arranged to be transferred to another FFL that can provide the proper SSE service. Firearms currently in DROS (already registered and in the 10-day waiting period) can arrange a pick up by calling the store and getting in touch with the owner, unless it is an SSE. Upon our parting with the company, it is still undecided what is to be done with the off-roster pistols that require the SSE to be picked up. We speculate that those DROSs will be cancelled and the pistols transferred to a FFL that can re-register and facilitate the SSE.

This post was much longer than expected. We are simply writing to let everyone know the status of the Santa Clara store. This is a sad and unfortunate event for Valkyrie Arms. All of us were customers at the Milpitas store before being asked to come aboard as employees. Many of our personal reputations were tied to the store, not just Tim’s or “Valkyrie Arms”. We employees never intended to “scam” any of our customers or steal their money. We sincerely hope that everyone involved will be able to reach a resolution. It has been a pleasure working for Valkyrie Arms and meeting everyone that came in, even if it was just to hang out.

That's an unfortunate situation. The Milpitas store and everyone there was awesome.

Sent from the depths of the S3 Galaxy via Tapatalk 2

__________________
"If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin
"You have to be willing to swing your nuts like a deadblow hammer to put these jackasses in their place." - AJAX22
"The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry." - William F Buckley Jr.

Some of the speculations in this thread are correct. When the store moved from Milpitas to Santa Clara, a new owner took over. The store was renamed Valkyrie Arms Police Supply and Firearms by the new owner. Tim was on board to help the “new” store. Before being renamed, 10-8 Police Supply was not doing well and Tim was contacted to help with 10-8 Policy Supply’s business. Tim’s advice was not taken and the new owner continued to run the store as he pleased. Tim became less and less involved in the company as time went on, and eventually left. The store started sliding downhill, exponentially in the past weeks. The owner created the recent “inventory & audit” closure to buy time to deal with the situation. Some of us (store employees) stuck around to lend a hand for a short time.

What was happening that dug Valkyrie Arms Police Supply and Firearms' hole was that many of the firearms orders placed at the Santa Clara store were for items that were out of stock. When many of these items came back into stock (sometimes 2 weeks, other times it was months) the new owner had already spent the money. The new owner disregarded Tim’s advice to keep the money aside for customer orders and other store necessities. Tim and the store employees stuck with it for some time and tried to fix the store and the owner’s habits, but were unsuccessful. Tim signed onto 10-8 Police Supply under false conditions and promises issued by the owner. Tim was told 10-8 Police Supply did not have any debt and that they were making a profit. It was eventually found out that 10-8 Police Supply actually owed debt to various vendors. In the past months, the new owner was taking profits from Valkyrie Arms, which was supposed to be used for customer orders, inventory for the store, and employee pay, and instead used it to pay off his debt, and bills. Tim was supposed to have control on how the finances were handled and used. The new owner did not like how Tim used the money, and decided to transfer the money out of the company’s account. Valkyrie Arms (Milpitas) did have guns on order which were transferred over to Santa Clara; however this was because the guns ordered were harder to obtain. Money from these orders was also spent by the new owner.

We made it a point never to gouge customers, we wanted to stay competitive. Many of us working there made and became friends with customers and what was happening behind closed doors affected this friendship. We tried our best to get customer their guns, some went as far as using their personal credit cards to acquire inventory, which was quicker than having to use the store’s accounts to order products. Some of us spent time on our days off to track down guns from other dealers, or whoever may have that particular gun in stock. Because of this, we built a good relationship with other dealers. Customer service was a top priority for us. We personally witnessed it lacking at times as things headed downhill. We were proud to hear from customers that we were the friendliest gun shop they had ever visited, and really took pride in that. With the new boss, our morale sometimes dipped and that showed in our customer interactions. We sincerely apologize for the poor customer service.

It is unfortunate that it has come to this. All the employees have left the company with Tim. Currently, the new owner has been issuing refunds to customers and transferring the guns he is able to. Since Tim is no longer part of the company, Valkyrie Arms Police Supply and Firearms is unable to perform Single-Shot Exemptions (SSE from now on) of off-roster pistols. Those pistols pending DROS (have yet to be registered) are being arranged to be transferred to another FFL that can provide the proper SSE service. Firearms currently in DROS (already registered and in the 10-day waiting period) can arrange a pick up by calling the store and getting in touch with the owner, unless it is an SSE. Upon our parting with the company, it is still undecided what is to be done with the off-roster pistols that require the SSE to be picked up. We speculate that those DROSs will be cancelled and the pistols transferred to a FFL that can re-register and facilitate the SSE.

This post was much longer than expected. We are simply writing to let everyone know the status of the Santa Clara store. This is a sad and unfortunate event for Valkyrie Arms. All of us were customers at the Milpitas store before being asked to come aboard as employees. Many of our personal reputations were tied to the store, not just Tim’s or “Valkyrie Arms”. We employees never intended to “scam” any of our customers or steal their money. We sincerely hope that everyone involved will be able to reach a resolution. It has been a pleasure working for Valkyrie Arms and meeting everyone that came in, even if it was just to hang out.

Happy Holidays,

Valkyrie Arms Employees

Thanks for the explanation. Hopefully someone will call me soon regarding transfer of my XDS. Talked to Paul but have yet to hear back that he even found my pistol at all .

I just saw a post from Valkyrie Arms assuming that is the original owner Tim I have talked to some of the employees personally the story on there and what they are saying are conflicting this post they said a person that loaned Tim money finally claimed it back in the form of taking all the weapons in the store and forced the store to close for a audit due to possible missing inventory this will determine if further action is required

I emailed the store and Paul said that all SSE will be transfered wither to Metal Dog Tactical or Tracy Rifle and pistol if those 2 places can't do it a place in Fresno He also said the store should be reopening for normal operation after audit is done whichi might be early as next week

as I researched even more when Valkyrie was in Milptas it also faced the same issue so before we go pointing fingers we should be fair and hear all the facts

Appreciate the info Valkyrie. It was hard to imagine that the shop (and employees/owners) we all once knew in Milpitas turned into what is now the Santa Clara store.

Maybe somewhere down the road Tim and the original team can setup shop again and provide this area with the gun store we once had.

__________________“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.” - Jeff Cooper, Art of the Rifle

Oh boy. I have a 1911 in transit to Valkyrie for SSE. I wonder what's going to happen to it...

I'd reroute it to Metal Dog Tactical if you can - save you a lot of headache. If you can't, you'll have to email refunds.valkyriearms@gmail.com and tell them you want to have it shipped to Metal Dog Tactical (or other) and basically get in line == wait.

I'd reroute it to Mad Dog Tactical if you can - save you a lot of headache. If you can't, you'll have to email refunds.valkyriearms@gmail.com and tell them you want to have it shipped to Mad Dog Tactical (or other) and basically get in line == wait.

I'd reroute it to Metal Dog Tactical if you can - save you a lot of headache. If you can't, you'll have to email refunds.valkyriearms@gmail.com and tell them you want to have it shipped to Metal Dog Tactical (or other) and basically get in line == wait.

Yah good luck. Mines is already there (since 11/26) and they still haven't contacted me to release it.

Has anybody had any luck getting back guns that were being worked on ? I have a Saiga that is at the Milpitas location getting an AK fore end and some 922r stuff installed. Paul gave me Tims cell ,but he won't call me back. Ideas? Thanks

Yah good luck. Mines is already there (since 11/26) and they still haven't contacted me to release it.

They've had mine since 11/21 - I win?? :-( I was told my DROS has now been cancelled and they're waiting for confirmation of the cancel before delivering to Metal Dog Tactical.

I suggest emailing them where you want to send it to finish SSE, if that is what your waiting for. I didn't get a reply until I told them where to send it. If its just a pick up, you should be able to go get it.